The present invention relates to a device and a method, as well as a computer program product, for detecting data relating to the psychosomatic state of a subject, in particular for measuring a physical or physiological activity by a subject and for assessing the psychosomatic state of the subject.
Human musculature comprises muscles with transverse and longitudinal strips, which exhibit a tonicity. If a subject is exposed to a sensory stimulus, if for instance they are provided with an image or noise which is linked to positive or negative associations, then tonicity becomes stronger or weaker, according to whether the subject reacts positively or negatively to the sensory stimulus provided. The change in tonicity therefore provides information about the psychosomatic state of the subject.
The method of so-called kinesiology is known in medical diagnosis, in which method a manual muscle test is carried with a subject. Normally, the subject is supposed to try to hold their arm up while another person, for example a physician or therapist, tries to press the outstretched arm down. According to how easy or difficult it is to press the subject""s arm down, information is obtained about whether the subject is reacting specifically to what he is being confronted with, or not.
The forces arising have to be subjectively assessed by the physician or therapist. Moreover, the tests in kinesiology are comparatively laborious and time-consuming, since the physician or therapist either has to note the subjectively assessed responses or, when a number of different sensory stimuli are provided, has to note the respective responses intermediately. There thus arises a need for test methods and devices which are more objective and simpler and faster to perform.
The aforementioned tests are also normally comparatively expensive, since a certain diagnosis requires an experienced therapist or physician.
Biofeedback apparatus are known from the prior art, which measure an electrical signal from a physical or physiological activity by a subject, said signal representing for example the subject""s current pulse or blood pressure. The signal is electronically processed further and provided to the subject who is then supposed, through feedback, to try to influence the electrical signal and therefore the physical or physiological activity on which it is based. Such apparatus can also be used to improve, through feedback, subjects"" stress behaviour.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method, such that data which can serve as the basis for assessing the psychosomatic state of a subject can be detected for the subject simply and reliably. A computer program product for carrying out the method in accordance with the invention on a computer, as well as a reliable and simple allergy testing apparatus, are also to be provided in accordance with the invention.
A device for detecting data relating to the psychosomatic state of a subject, in particular for measuring a physical or physiological activity by a subject and for assessing the psychosomatic state of the subject, is provided in accordance with the invention, said device comprising a stimulus generator presenting the subject with sensory stimuli, a control means which controls the stimulus generator such that the subject is automatically provided with a sequence of different sensory stimuli, a sensor deriving an electrical signal from a physical or physiological activity by the subject in response to a provided sensory stimulus, and a comparator comparing the electrical signal with a pre-settable index value.
It is an advantage that data which can provide information about the psychosomatic state of a subject can be obtained automatically from the subject. Thus, no physician or therapist is required in accordance with the invention, to obtain such data. Rather, the device can carry out tests on the subject automatically. The data thus obtained can serve as the basis for a subsequent assessment of the psychosomatic state of the subject. However, this does not necessarily require a physician or therapist. It also has the advantage that the data can be obtained faster, since the sensory stimuli are provided automatically. It also has the further advantage that the data are more objective, since they can no longer be distorted by the subjective perception of a physician or therapist. Thus, the data allow a more certain diagnosis in accordance with the invention.
All stimuli which are suited to inducing a physical or physiological activity in the subject can be used as sensory stimuli. Visual stimuli, for example images, colours or texts, acoustic stimuli, for example tones, melodies, noises or spoken sequences of words, and tactile stimuli, for example touch stimuli induced by pressure actuators, are preferably used in accordance with the invention. In principle, however, stimuli may also be used which act on the taste nerves or olfactory nerves of the subject, to which end the stimuli can be induced either in a natural form, for example as an odour, or by means of electrodes applied to a suitable location.
A computer or data processing means is particularly preferably used as the control means, in particular a portable computer which can also simultaneously serve as the stimulus generator for generating the sensory stimuli. A particularly simple and cost-effective device is therefore provided in accordance with the invention.
The electrical signal derived from the sensor is compared with an index value by means of a comparator. This index value can be pre-set in accordance with the invention and is particularly preferably individually adjusted to the activity pattern of the subject. While the sequence of sensory stimuli is being provided, the subject has the task of responding to the sensory stimulus in such a way that the strength of the physical or physiological activity corresponds to the index value. The strength of the response is not shown to the subject. A data set can be derived from the difference between the strength of the detected physical or physiological activity in response to a provided sensory stimulus and the pre-set index value, said data set showing whether the activity in response to the provided sensory has turned out comparatively strong or weak. This information can be used in a subsequent assessing step, to assess the psychosomatic state of the subject. In particular, it can be assessed whether the sensory stimulus has induced a positive or negative response in the subject.
Since the subject is provided not with a single sensory stimulus but rather with a sequence of different sensory stimuli, possible fluctuations in the physical or physiological activity by the subject can be filtered out or averaged out. In particular, repetitions of one and the same sensory stimulus may be contained in the sequence, such that an average can be taken over a number of readings for a physical or physiological activity by the subject in response to one and the same sensory stimulus, in order to obtain an average value for the respective activity. Advantageously, the derived data therefore represent an even better basis for assessing the psychosomatic state.
The control means preferably comprises a data base which contains data sets corresponding to those sensory stimuli to be provided which are to be provided to the subject. The data sets can be combined into a specifically pre-set sequence, however they can also be selected in a control menu by an operator, such that an individual sequence can be produced for each subject. The data base can also be in an electronic form and stored in a data memory, for example on a CD-ROM.
An input device may also be expediently provided, inputting further data sets into the data base which stand for sensory stimuli with which the subject is to be provided. If, for example, the subject is to be provided with texts, then further texts may be inputted into the control means via a keyboard. However, an input/output interface to external stimulus generators, for example tone or tone sequence generators, speech recording apparatus, graphics inputting apparatus and the like, may also serve as an input device.
The sequence of sensory stimuli can run at a specifically pre-set speed or at a variably pre-settable speed, in particular adjusted to the response capacity of the subject. Particularly preferably, however, the control means controls the stimulus generator in such a way that a next stimulus from the sequence of sensory stimuli is only provided once the subject has responded to a preceding stimulus, which is particularly preferably established by the strength of an electrical signal, detected in response to the preceding stimulus and corresponding to the physical or physiological activity by the subject in response to the previously provided sensory stimulus, exceeding a pre-set threshold value. Advantageously, the threshold value avoids the possibility of signal noise or an activity not in response to a sensory stimulus being inadvertently established, detected as an electrical signal, and processed further.
In principle, all types of sensors with which physical or physiological activities by the subject can be monitored are suitable as sensors. Pressure sensors are particularly preferably used in accordance with the invention, for registering forces of pressure when the subject exerts a force onto the pressure sensor. This way of detecting activities by the subject thus copies the approach known from kinesiology. A balance is particularly preferably used as the pressure sensor, in particular a letter balance which can also comprise an A/D converter and an interface for forwarding the detector signals to an evaluation unit. Alternatively or in addition, EEG sensors, EMG sensors or the like can also be used as sensors in accordance with the invention. Conclusions about the psychosomatic state of the subject can similarly be obtained from the activity patterns obtained in this way.
A processor unit, in particular a microprocessor, is preferably provided for editing and forwarding the data obtained, such that the data obtained are graphically edited and may be displayed on a display and/or stored as a data set, in particular on an exchangeable data carrier. The data obtained can thus be analysed even more simply.
An index value unit is preferably provided, for pre-setting the index value which the respective physical or physiological activity by the subject in response to a provided sensory stimulus is supposed to reach, said index value unit comprising a visual display for displaying the strength of the physical or physiological activity by the subject in response to a test sensory stimulus and a visual display for pre-setting an index value. The subject is provided with at least one test sensory stimulus, with the task of responding such that the strength of the measured activity in response to the at least one sensory stimulus reaches the visually displayed index value.
When the sequence of different sensory stimuli is provided to the subject, the subject has the task of responding to each sensory stimulus as equally as possible and with the strength of the pre-set index value. Thus, any difference between the actual strength of the activity and the index value can be ascertained in a particularly simple way.
Since it may happen that the subject grows tired during a sequence, the control means preferably triggers the index value unit every time the difference between the strength of the physical or physiological activity and the index value exceeds a pre-set threshold value a number of times. If the subject happens to respond comparatively strongly or weakly, this does not yet trigger the establishing of a new index value. Advantageously, the method and device in accordance with the invention can simply take into account tiring or an increased level of activity in the subject.
It is known that certain subjects can also respond exactly oppositely. Such subjects are said to be in reverse. Where, for example, in the case of a positive response to a sensory stimulus, a normal subject would respond particularly acutely, subjects in reverse respond exactly oppositely, i.e. relatively weakly. This also applies to the reverse case of a negative response. In order to filter out such subjects in reverse, the control means is preferably configured such that the subject can also be provided with objectively incorrect information, i.e. information for which it is known for certain that it is not true, wherein the strength of the physical or physiological activity in response to the incorrect information is then compared with the previously established index value. If it is established that the subject is a subject in reverse, then the data obtained in accordance with the invention are evaluated exactly oppositely, i.e. data for comparatively weak responses are converted into data for comparatively strong responses, and vice versa.
The control means is preferably linked to a data base, for example a CD-ROM, comprising data sets specific to the subjects, for generating objectively incorrect information, said data base containing objectively incorrect and/or objectively correct information, and the control means then generating the subjectively incorrect information to be provided to the subject from said data sets.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a method is provided for detecting data relating to the psychosomatic state of a subject, in particular for measuring a physical or physiological activity by a subject and for assessing the psychosomatic state of the subject. In said method, the subject is provided with sensory stimuli, and electrical signals are derived from a physical or physiological activity by the subject in response to a provided sensory stimulus, and the electrical signals are compared with a pre-set index value, wherein the sensory stimuli are provided to the subject automatically, in the form of a sequence of different sensory stimuli.
The method in accordance with the invention is not a diagnostic or therapeutic method. Rather, the method in accordance with the invention serves to derive data which serve as the basis for a subsequent evaluation or assessment which does not have to be performed by physicians or therapists.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a computer program product is also provided which comprises sections of program or software code which may be directly loaded into the working memory of a computer or data processing means connected to at least one sensor for detecting electrical signals from a physical or physiological activity by a subject in response to a sensory stimulus, such that the computer performs the method in accordance with the invention.
A particularly preferred application of the device in accordance with the invention, the method in accordance with the invention and the computer program product in accordance with the invention relates to its application in testing for allergies. To this end, the subject is provided with images and/or texts which represent substances to be tested which potentially trigger an allergy in the subject. From the physical or physiological activity in response to the sequence of sensory stimuli provided, conclusions can be drawn about particular allergies, though also about the subject""s preferences. If, for example, the subject responds particularly acutely to images or to the words of certain products, then conclusions can be drawn from the data obtained about an allergy to these products. Advantageously, such an allergy test is particularly cheap and can be performed quickly.